Hi friend,
These days screenshots seem to have become a new love language. It is like a modern version of passing notes between friends, except that everyone grades them. And the grading looks like this: you share a screenshot of a text thread with the person you care about, or you retell a moment that’s been sitting in your head, and your friends start helping you read it. Was that warm or clipped. Are you overthinking. What would you say back.
What makes it feel so sticky is that you usually do it when the stakes feel real. When you do not care, you might mention it and move on. When you care, you want witnesses. You want someone to tell you you are not being ridiculous for hoping, or that you are not missing something obvious, or that you are allowed to want what you want even if it scares you. The committee becomes a kind of padding around your feelings, so you are not standing there holding them barehanded.